Dual action phonetic doll

ABSTRACT

A dual action phonetic doll in which a single tweeter mechanism is actuated both by gravity when the doll is laid on its back and in response to squeezing of one or both of its arms to cause the doll to emit a cry, the character of which can be modified by varying the manner in which the arms are squeezed.

I O United States Patent [151 3,638,35 1

Kosicki et al. 1 1 Feb. 1, 197 2 [54] DUAL ACTION PHONETIC DOLL 2,147,181 2/1939 Wilhelm ..46/117 [72] Inventors: Wltold W. Kosicki, Columbia; Charles M. 3032920 5/1962 "46/117 Homngswmh West Columbia bmh of 3,136,089 6/1964 Gardel et al. ..46/ 180 SC 3,303,605 2/1967 Henry ..46/118 3,494,323 2/1970 Ayala et al ..46/ 180 [73] Assignee: llorsman Dolls lnc., Columbia, SC. [22] Filed; Apt 13 1970 Primary Examiner-Louis Mancene ASSISM"! Examiner-A. Heinz PP' N03 27,861 AImmey-Shenier and O'Connor 521 user ..46/ll7, 46/187 1 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cll A dual action h p onetic doll in which a single tweeter Fleld of Search 17, 1 l8, mechanism i actuated both g y when the is on its back and in response to squeezing of one or both of its arms [56] References Cited to cause the doll to emit a cry, the character of which can be UNITED STATES PATENTS modified by varying the manner in which the arms are 5 ueezed. 3,477,169 11/1969 Gardel et al. ..46/l18 q 1,949,867 3/ 1934 Katz ..46/1 17 13 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures @HHHHHIIHH DUAL ACTION PI-IONETIC DOLL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are known in the prior art various arrangements for causing a doll to simulate the cry emitted by a baby. Perhaps the oldest of these arrangements is one in which the doll emits such a cry when it is laid down. In other arrangements the doll will emit a cry in response to squeezing of a part of the dolls body. Further systems have been suggested in which motordriven mechanisms are activated in different manners to cause the doll to cry.

It will readily be appreciated that all of the above expedients are desirable in some degree since each simulates one of the lifelike qualities which children attribute to dolls. However, the arrangements should not be so expensive that they make the cost of the doll prohibitive. It is, moreover, desirable that the the doll be made to cry not only when laid down but also when manipulated in some manner. We have invented a doll which emits a cry both when laid down and in response to squeezing of one of the body members. The cry can be varied by changing the manner in which the body member is actuated. Our construction is simple and rugged. It is relatively inexpensive for the result achieved thereby.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One object of our invention is to provide a dual action phonetic doll which cries both when the doll is laid down and in response to squeezing of a body member.

Another object of our invention is to provide a dual action phonetic doll the cry of which can readily be varied.

A further object of our invention is to provide a dual action phonetic doll which is simple and rugged in construction.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a dual action phonetic doll which is relatively inexpensive for the result achieved thereby.

Other and further objects of our invention will appear from the following description.

In general our invention contemplates the provision of a dual action phonetic doll in which a tweeter mechanism carried by the dolls body is actuated both automatically in response to gravity when the doll is laid on its back and manually when one or both of the doll arms are squeezed. In the latter mode of operation, the cry emitted by the doll can be varied by varying the manner in which pressure is applied to the dolls arms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings which form part of the instant specification and which are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicated like parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of our dual action phonetic doll with a part broken away.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of our dual action phonetic doll taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tweeter mechanism of our dual action phonetic doll taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1 and drawn on an enlarged scale.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings our dual action phonetic doll indicated generally by the reference character includes a torso 12, a head 14, right and left arms 16 and 18, and right and left legs 20 and 22. Torso 12 is formed with a socket 24 which retains the head on the torso by virtue of a flange 26 on the neck portion of the head. Torso 12 is provided with arm sockets 28 and 30 which receive flanges 32 and 34 on the arms to retain the arms in position on the torso. We mount the legs 20 and 22 on the body in a similar manner. Torso 12 preferably is made of a semirigid flesh-colored plastic of any suitable type known to the art. We make arms 16 and 18 out of a resilient plastic of any suitable type to permit the arms to be squeezed and to return to their initial configuration after squeezing for a reason to be explained hereinafter. Legs 20 and 22 and the head 14 may be made of any appropriate material.

We provide the center of the front of the torso 12 with an opening 33 for receiving the tweeter mechanism indicated generally by the reference character 35 of our doll. This tweeter mechanism 35 may be retained in the opening 33 by a plastic cement. The mechanism 35 includes a housing 36 having a closed end 38 and having an open end protruding slightly through opening 33 so as to receive a perforated cover 40. The housing 36 and the cover 40 are made of relatively rigid plastic and the cover is secured in place by means of an adhesive.

Housing 36 slidably receives a body 42 formed of a relatively heavy material such as stone or the like which causes the body 42 to slide under the influence of gravity from one end to the other of the housing 36 as the doll 10 is moved from one horizontal position to another. We fonn body 42 with a bore 44 extending from one end of the housing 36 toward the other end. A recess 46 in body 42 at its end adjacent the closed end 38 of the housing receives a tweeter including a pipe 48 and a reed 50 secured to the pipe by any suitable means, such for example as by a string or thread 52. Recess 46 leads into bore 44. We so cement the tweeter in recess 46 by means of an adhesive 54 that the pipe 48 leads into bore 44. A seal 56 closes the end of the bore 44 adjacent closed end 38. The other end of the bore 44 leads into a central recess 58 in the other end of body 42. We secure a thin rubber diaphragm 60 having a central opening 62 over the end of body 42 in which recess 58 is located.

A retainer ring 64 snapped onto a reduced diameter portion 66 of body 42 retains a thin rubber seal 68 in position on the body. From the structure thus described, it will be apparent that the end of the housing 36 carrying the cover 40 is at the front of the dolls body so that when the doll I0 is laid on its back body 42 tends to move under the influence of gravity toward the closed end 38. Seal 68 engages the inner surface of the wall of housing 36 to cause air trapped within the housing to flow past reed 50 and through pipe 48 to the bore 44 and thence to recess 58 and out through the cover 40. This flow causes reed 50 to vibrate thus to create a sound simulating a babys cry.

We secure respective blank flanges 70 and 72 over the flanges 32 and 34 on arms 16 and 18 with an airtight seal. A first length of flexible tubing 74 extending through flange 70 extends through closed end 38 of housing 36 to connect the inside of the right arm 16 to the interior of housing 36 adjacent the reed 50. A second length of flexible tubing 76 extends through flange 72 and through the closed end 38 of housing 36 to connect the interior of the left arm 18 of the doll to the interior of housing 36. Thus squeezing of either or both of the arms 16 and 18 to reduce the volume thereof causes a flow of air through tubings 74 and 76 into the housing 36.

In operation of our dual action phonetic doll after the doll has once been tilted forward the weight 42 is disposed adjacent the front of the torso 12. Now, if the doll is laid on its back, weight 42, under the influence of gravity, slides slowly from the forward position to a position adjacent the closed end 38 of housing 36. This movement is damped by the seal 68 which causes air trapped between the weight 42 and the end 38 to flow past the reed 50 and through pipe 48 to the bore 44 which leads into recess 58. As the air passes by the reed it causes the latter to vibrate to emit a sound simulating the cry of a baby. This action is not repeated until after the weight has been restored to the front of housing 36.

Alternatively to the action described above, if either or both of the arms 16 and 18 is squeezed, air under pressure is forced from the hollow arms through the tubes 74 and 76 to the interior of housing 36. This air is forced to flow through the tweeter pipe 48 and past the reed to cause the reed to vibrate to make the doll emit a sound. It will be appreciated that this action occurs no matter what the position of the weight 42 relative to the housing. In most instances the air under pressure is enough to force the weight to the forward position. Continued squeezing on the anns causes the tweeter to continue to sound. The cry uttered by the doll may be modified by varying the rapidity with which, and the amount by which, the arms are squeezed.

It will be seen that we have accomplished the objects of our invention. We have provided a dual action phonetic doll which emits a cry both in response to gravity and in response to a squeezing of one or both of the dolls arms. Our structure permits the cry to modified by manipulating the arms in varied fashion. Our doll is simple and rugged in construction. It is relatively inexpensive for the result achieved thereby.

it will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations, This is contemplated by and is within the scope of our claims. It is further obvious that various changes may be made in details within the scope of our claims without departing from the spirit of our invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that our invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

l. A dual action phonetic doll including in combination, a body, a tweeter carried by said body, said tweeter adapted to be actuated to produce a sound simulating a babys cry, first means responsive to movement of said body between an erect position and a supine position for actuating said tweeter and second pneumatic means responsive to distortion of said body for actuating said tweeter in all positions of said body.

2. A dual action phonetic doll as in claim 1 in which said first means comprises means mounting said tweeter on said body for movement from a first position to a second position in response to movement of said body from said erect position to said supine position.

3. A dual action phonetic doll as in claim 1 in which said first means include a housing having a closed end and a weight in said housing mounting said tweeter for movement in said housing.

4. A dual action phonetic doll as in claim 1 in which said first means includes a housing having an open end and a closed end, means mounting said housing on said body with the open end thereof outboard, a weight slidably supported in said housing, said tweeter having an inlet and an outlet, means mounting said tweeter on said weight with its inlet end adjacent to the closed end of said housing, means providing communication between the outlet of said tweeter and the open end of said housing and means providing a seal between said housing and said weight.

5. A doll as in claim 4 in which said housing slidably supports said weight for movement from front to back of said body, said housing closed end located adjacent the back of said body and said housing open end located at the front of said body.

6. A doll as in claim 1 in which said second means comprises means for supplying air to said tweeter.

7. A doll as in claim 1 in which said tweeter has an inlet and an outlet, means mounting said tweeter in said body with its outlet open to the atmosphere, said second means comprising means responsive to distortion of said body portion for supplying air under pressure to said inlet.

8. A doll as in claim 1 in which said tweeter has an inlet and an outlet, a housing having an open end and a closed end, said body comprising a torso and a hollow limb of resilient material, means mounting said housing in said torso with its open end communicating with the atmosphere, means mounting said tweeter in said housing with its inlet adjacent said closed end and with its outlet communicating with said open end, and means providing communication between the interior of said hollow arm and the inside of said housing through said closed end.

9. A doll as in claim 8 in which said limb is an arm.

10. A dual action phonetic doll including in combination, a

torso, a hollow limb of resilient material carried by said torso, a housing having an open end and a closed end, means mounting said housing in said torso with its open end communicating with the atmosphere, a weight slidably supported in said housing for movement under the influence of gravity from a position adjacent the open end of said housing to a position adjacent the closed end thereof, an air seal between said weight and said housing, a tweeter having an inlet and an outlet, means mounting said tweeter on said weight with its inlet adjacent the closed end of said housing, said weight including means providing communication between the outlet of said tweeter and the open end of said housing, and means providing communication between the interior of said hollow limb and the interior of said housing through said closed end.

11. A doll as in claim 10 in which said housing supports said weight for sliding movement from front to back of said torso.

12. A doll as in claim 10 in which said limb is an arm.

13. A doll as in claim 10 in which said limb is an arm, said doll including a second hollow arm of resilient material and means providing communication between the interior of said arm and the interior of said housing through said closed end. 

1. A dual action phonetic doll including in combination, a body, a tweeter carried by said body, said tweeter adapted to be actuated to produce a sound simulating a baby''s cry, first means responsive to movement of said body between an erect position and a supine position for actuating said tweeter and second pneumatic means responsive to distortion of said body for actuating said tweeter in all positions of said body.
 2. A dual action phonetic doll as in claim 1 in which said first means comprises means mounting said tweeter on said body for movement from a first position to a second position in response to movement of said body from said erect position to said supine position.
 3. A dual action phonetic doll as in claim 1 in which said first means include a housing having a closed end and a weight in said housing mounting said tweeter for movement in said housing.
 4. A dual action phonetic doll as in claim 1 in which said first means includes a housing having an open end and a closed end, means mounting said housing on said body with the open end thereof outboard, a weight slidably supported in said housing, said tweeter having an inlet and an outlet, means mounting said tweeter on said weight with its inlet end adjacent to the closed end of said housing, means providing communication between the outlet of said tweeter and the open end of said housing and means providing a seal between said housing and said weight.
 5. A doll as in claim 4 in which said housing slidably supports said weight for movement from front to back of said body, said housing closed end located adjacent the back of said body and said housing open end located at the front of said body.
 6. A doll as in claim 1 in which said sEcond means comprises means for supplying air to said tweeter.
 7. A doll as in claim 1 in which said tweeter has an inlet and an outlet, means mounting said tweeter in said body with its outlet open to the atmosphere, said second means comprising means responsive to distortion of said body portion for supplying air under pressure to said inlet.
 8. A doll as in claim 1 in which said tweeter has an inlet and an outlet, a housing having an open end and a closed end, said body comprising a torso and a hollow limb of resilient material, means mounting said housing in said torso with its open end communicating with the atmosphere, means mounting said tweeter in said housing with its inlet adjacent said closed end and with its outlet communicating with said open end, and means providing communication between the interior of said hollow arm and the inside of said housing through said closed end.
 9. A doll as in claim 8 in which said limb is an arm.
 10. A dual action phonetic doll including in combination, a torso, a hollow limb of resilient material carried by said torso, a housing having an open end and a closed end, means mounting said housing in said torso with its open end communicating with the atmosphere, a weight slidably supported in said housing for movement under the influence of gravity from a position adjacent the open end of said housing to a position adjacent the closed end thereof, an air seal between said weight and said housing, a tweeter having an inlet and an outlet, means mounting said tweeter on said weight with its inlet adjacent the closed end of said housing, said weight including means providing communication between the outlet of said tweeter and the open end of said housing, and means providing communication between the interior of said hollow limb and the interior of said housing through said closed end.
 11. A doll as in claim 10 in which said housing supports said weight for sliding movement from front to back of said torso.
 12. A doll as in claim 10 in which said limb is an arm.
 13. A doll as in claim 10 in which said limb is an arm, said doll including a second hollow arm of resilient material and means providing communication between the interior of said arm and the interior of said housing through said closed end. 